Love is a Strange Thing
by TARDISRose
Summary: Peeta Mellark is blind and, because of it, is always Katniss Everdeen is a suicidal, depressed teenager whose father died when she was When fate draws them together, can they overcome their differences? Disclaimer: I own
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is a new story that just popped into my head! I hope you like it!**

Chapter 1

Mrs. Mellark liked normal. She hated children and liked normal people. She wanted things simple, neat, and professional. So when her third child, Peeta, was born, she loathed him. She was already angry that her husband had managed to convince her to have children, and having a third made her even angrier.

Mr. Mellark insisted that his wife had children, just to carry on the Mellark family name. He also figured that the children would someday give him money in his old age. Yes, all Mr. Mellark ever cared about was money. He left his wife to care for his children while he was away on business. Rarely did he come home, and when he did, it was only for days at a time.

The two were hardly model parents. They weren't good parents to their three children, Bannock, Rye, and Peeta. Mrs. Mellark ran the bakery when Mr. Mellark was away, though she only did it so that Mr. Mellark would take her children off her hands every once in a while. Mrs. Mellark beat her children, and Peeta always seemed to be the one to get hurt the most.

There was a reason to it, though. Not a good reason, but a reason nonetheless. The Mellarks like normal. They hate children, and they like normal. So when Peeta came along, Mrs. Mellark felt only hatred to the child. Of course, she didn't like her other two children, but Peeta was not normal, much to her dismay. Peeta was born like her other two children, but Mrs. Mellark soon found out that Peeta would never be normal. Peeta was born blind. And Mrs. Mellark found ways to hurt him without the neighbors noticing. It was just so easy, wasn't it?

* * *

Mrs. Everdeen used to dance and laugh. She used to be happy and love her two children, Katniss and Primrose. But now? Now, she didn't pay any attention to them. She quit her job and watched them starve.

Mr. Everdeen was the best father that had ever been, at least in his children's eyes. But when he went off to war and died, Mrs. Everdeen shut down. She knew that her children needed her help, but she didn't care. She watched them. She didn't want to live without her husband, the one that she loved. Katniss reminded her too much of her deceased husband. She took after him, after all, with her olive skin, grey eyes, and brown hair. Prim reminded her too much of herself. Why did she allow herself to fall in love? That question haunts her while she's drowning in her own depression. Why didn't she just marry the money-obsessed Mr. Mellark?

**A/N: Well, I hope that this first chapter was good! I hope that it explained a bit about their families and their background! The next chapter will be longer, I promise! Review?**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! Thank you so much for the response that I got to this story! Thanks to my 2 reviewers, 2 followers, and 1 favorite! Oh, and this story will follow both of them, so it will be in third person. They're both 16.**

Chapter 2

"Peeta Mellark! Wake up! You will not be late for your first day at your new school! You're enough of a screw-up as it is!" Mrs. Mellark screeches. Peeta opens his blue eyes, not that it makes a difference. He can't see a thing. He's never been able to. He's learned to live without being able to see. His brothers help him. He knows how to read Braille.

Peeta groans and gets out of bed. He finds the clothes that his brother, Rye, laid out for him the night before. He gets himself ready, grabs his cane, puts on his sunglasses, and carefully walks downstairs. He doesn't know why his mother insists that the room that he shares with Rye is upstairs, but every day, he braves the enemy that he can't see, and cooperates like he was brought up to do.

Peeta is oblivious to his mother's abuse. She tells him that there was only something in his way, and that he shouldn't have a cane if he never uses it. And Peeta just takes it. Mrs. Mellark _is_, after all, his mother. And Peeta, being Peeta, thought that she was only speaking the truth. Mother's don't lie to their children, do they? So he believes her.

"Hey, Peeta," the voice that Peeta knows to be Rye's asks when Peeta comes down the stairs.

Before Peeta sits down at the spot that he always does and knows where it is, Mrs. Mellark pulls it away from the table. Peeta goes to sit and falls. His face turns red, and he scrambles up from the floor, trying to salvage what's left of his pride. Rye glares at his mother. She just puts on a sickeningly sweet smile. Her ice cold blue eyes seem to ask, "What did I do?" Rye doesn't say anything, knowing that Peeta would just tell him that he shouldn't worry. Then, Peeta would just blame himself.

And that annoys Rye. Peeta always blames himself, even when it's clearly his mother's fault. Peeta tries to find the best in everyone and everything, which makes Rye even more upset. The way Rye sees it, Peeta should be upset and defensive. God knows that's what anyone else would do if they lived in a world of darkness with an abusive mother and a father who cares nothing for you. Rye thinks that, given Peeta's situation, he should trust no one. His own mother torments him!

Bannock stumbles downstairs, still hung over from the party that he was at last night. It's funny how Bannock can make friends and be invited to a party after a night of being in Seattle. Rye likes to think that he could if he tried, but he's always too busy saving Peeta from their mother to have time for stupid social statuses like that. As for Peeta, he thinks of himself as too unlikeable for anyone to want to be around. His mother constantly reminded him that he would never be good enough for anyone to like.

"Hi, Mother," Bannock grumbles when he sees his mother, still swaying slightly.

"Were you drinking last night, Bannock? You know that you're not supposed to drink!" Mrs. Mellark yells.

"Yeah. So?" Bannock asks.

"Just get out! The lot of you! Get out of my house! Go to school!" Mrs. Mellark shouts, exploding at the mere _thought_ of her children socializing and being with other children. Peeta grabs his cane and backpack and gets out, afraid of his mother. Rye and Bannock follow with only their backpacks.

* * *

Katniss wakes up early. She sees Prim asleep on the other side of her bed. She's careful not to wake her little sister. Katniss watches for only a second, watching Prim's chest rise and fall evenly, her face peaceful in sleep. But Katniss knows that she can't linger, so she gets out of her shared room. She passes her mother's room. The door is open, so Katniss can see her mother sleeping. _She would sleep soundly while Prim and I starve,_ Katniss thinks to herself. After putting on her father's leather jacket (which she only wears to cover her many self-inflicted cuts), she grabs her bow and arrows. Then, she runs into the woods.

The woods are the only place where she can think. She took archery lessons as a kid, and fell in love with the sport. Now, she uses her weapon to get food for her family. She has a few friends, but only one knows what it's like to have lost his father. Yes, Gale Hawthorne was the only person to be able to _begin_ to understand what Katniss goes through. Even then, Gale keeps his head up and is perfectly happy, unlike Katniss, who is very depressed.

"Hey, Catnip," Katniss hears Gale's familiar voice say. He emerges from the trees carrying only his bow and arrows.

The two are up at 5 o'clock in the morning to hunt for their families. Gale doesn't need to hunt as much as Katniss does. His mother tried to function after her husband's death. Katniss, however, was not as lucky. Her mother just stayed put, depressed and expressionless.

"Hi, Gale," Katniss says, putting on a fake smile.

Around her friends, she pretends that everything is fine, but it isn't. She cuts herself whenever she's alone. She doesn't have many friends, and the ones that she has are the misfits. She fits right in with them. She hates her life and every aspect of it. Her few friends and Prim are really the only things that she feels like is worth living for.

Gale and Katniss hunt until it's around 6:30 AM. Then, they quit and head home to feed their families. Katniss knows that Prim won't be up until 6:45 so that she can get ready for school. Katniss walks home to her small house that she and her family can only afford because of the two jobs that Katniss works, as a tutor and an archery teacher.

When Prim wakes up, breakfast is already cooked. The twelve year-old bounces into the kitchen, her blonde hair in two braids.

"Hi, Katniss! Did you hear that a family bought the house three doors down?" Prim chirps. Katniss loves Prim's optimistic attitude. She secretly wishes that she could take some of Prim's optimism and give it to herself so that she could stop being so depressed.

"That's great! I can't wait until we meet them!" Katniss exclaims, faking enthusiasm.

"Yeah! But I guess we have to go to school now… We can still meet them later!" Prim says, a smile plastered to her face. Katniss laughs.

"Let's just go to school for now," Katniss laughs. Prim begins her walk to the middle school. Katniss makes sure to cancel all power until they come back. Who cares if her mother freezes without the heater? She's practically dead anyway.

**A/N: Yeah, the real reason for Katniss cutting the power is because it saves money. She doesn't hate her mother ****_that much_****. I hope you liked this chapter! And just so you know, most chapters will be like this. It'll be the same sort of thing, but what's going on with Peeta and Katniss at the same time. It all happens at the same time. Review?**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much to my 4 reviewers, 2 followers, and 1 favorite!**

Chapter 3

Peeta Mellark had just barely made it to school. Rye helped him find the way, while Bannock raced ahead. Bannock, while he cared for Peeta, wanted to get to the school so that he could meet up with his friends. But now Peeta and Rye are in the principal's office, waiting for someone to come and show them around the school. Rye could easily find his way, but Peeta needs someone to help him around. After Rye gets his schedule, he has to leave Peeta alone.

"Good luck, dude. I'll meet you in front of the school to walk home," Rye says. Peeta just nods. He hears the door close and knows that Rye is gone. Now, he is alone in a room with a strange man that he doesn't know.

"You wanted me, Principal Crane?" a sarcastic voice asks, as if she couldn't be bothered with him.

"Ah, yes, Miss Everdeen. This is Peeta Mellark. He's a new student," Principal Crane says.

"And you want me to show the new kid around? Of course. What else am I here for?" the girl asks. Peeta assumes that it's Miss Everdeen. Maybe she's a teacher?

"Whatever do you mean, Katniss? You're here to learn. You're not here to do nothing," Principal Crane says. So her name's Katniss. She's here to learn, so she can't be a teacher. Peeta is confused.

"Whenever there's a new kid, you have me show the kid around," Katniss says.

"And they've become some of your closest friends. You wouldn't make any friends without you showing the children around," Principal Crane says. Children? Peeta's not a child.

"Yeah, whatever. Who's this Peeta kid?" Katniss asks. Peeta, though he desperately wants to tell Katniss and Crane that he's not a child, holds his tongue for fear that she'll bully him if he speaks out. He's known too many bullies for him to want to make enemies.

"He's a sophomore, just like you," Principal Crane says.

"So why does he need help around the school? Can't he find his own way?" Katniss asks.

"No, Katniss, he can't. He's blind," Principal Crane says.

Peeta waits for it. He waits for the laughing and mocking to begin. He waits for Katniss to start telling him that he's useless and will never amount to anything. He waits for her to tell him to go die. He waits for her to make fun of him. But it doesn't come.

Katniss just says, "Oh, okay. Come on, Peeta." Peeta stands and grabs his cane and backpack. Then, she helps him out the door.

* * *

Katniss Everdeen's day was off to a rotten start. After her usual daily routine, she began to walk to school. After discovering that her she forgot to wear a long-sleeved shirt, just in case she wanted to take off her jacket and didn't want anyone to see her cuts, she had to run back to her house and change. When she was done with that, she began running back to school, knowing that she would be late. And she was right. By the time she got to Mr. Undersee's English Literature class, which was her homeroom, the bell had already rung.

She sits down next to Johanna Mason, one of her only friends, and waited for the class to begin. Instead of paying attention, though, she and Johanna talk in whispers in the back of the classroom.

"Where have you been?" Johanna asks.

"I was hunting late with Gale. He's late, too," Katniss lies. Gale had been at school early, after letting his brothers walk to school and his mother drove his little sister. But him being a year older than them, she usually included him in her lies.

"That's not true. Gale came to my house earlier and walked me to school. You're a liar, Brainless. Why lie to your best friend?" Johanna asks with an eyebrow raised.

"Miss Everdeen, you are wanted in Principal Crane's office," Mr. Undersee says, breaking Katniss and Johanna's conversation. Katniss groans, but goes.

Principal Crane hated Katniss. He loathed her. And the feeling was mutual. She got in trouble a lot, so Principal Crane learned to hate Katniss. The only thing worse than feeling Principal Crane's wrath is feeling Superintendant Snow's wrath. Katniss had felt both. But being late is normal for Katniss, so she doesn't know why she's going to Principal Crane's office.

She takes a deep breath and opens the door. Inside, she finds Principal Crane sitting. The chair in front of his desk looks occupied, with an orange backpack on the floor and a cane resting against the desk. She takes a few more steps and sees a blonde boy with sunglasses over his eyes. _Oh, God, it's one of those annoying guys who think it's cool to wear sunglasses indoors,_ Katniss can't help but think.

"You wanted me, Principal Crane?" Katniss asks, rolling her eyes.

"Ah, yes, Miss Everdeen. This is Peeta Mellark. He's a new student," Principal Crane says.

"And you want me to show the new kid around? Of course. What else am I here for?" Katniss asks.

"Whatever do you mean, Katniss? You're here to learn. You're not here to do nothing," Principal Crane says.

"Whenever there's a new kid, you have me show the kid around," Katniss says.

"And they've become some of your closest friends. You wouldn't make any friends without you showing the children around," Principal Crane says. Children? Now, Crane has crossed the line. Katniss has raised her sister since she was eleven. Katniss is much more than a child and she resents anyone who considers her to be a child. And because most of them are her age, he's implying that she's a child.

"Yeah, whatever. Who's this Peeta kid?" Katniss asks, trying not to let her anger show.

"He's a sophomore, just like you," Principal Crane says.

"So why does he need help around the school? Can't he find his own way?" Katniss asks.

"No, Katniss, he can't. He's blind," Principal Crane says.

That's when Katniss feels uncomfortable. She's shown around soft-spoken Annie. She's shown around the rambunctious Johanna. She's shown around the sexy, assertive Finnick. She's shown around the guarded Gale. But someone who can't do most things for himself? No.

Katniss just says, "Oh, okay. Come on, Peeta." Peeta stands and grabs his cane and backpack. Then, she helps him out the door.

**A/N: Did you like this chapter? Please leave a review and tell me how it was!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thank you to the 6 reviewers, 7 followers, and 4 favorites!**

Chapter 4

Peeta Mellark had just been helped around the school by Katniss Everdeen. And, just his luck, his schedule matched hers. Everyone that she shows around that's in her grade has her schedule so that she can help them. But he was scared of her, and didn't want the same schedule as her. He tried to find the best in her, but he couldn't quite overcome his fear of her.

"So who's this?" a sarcastic voice far more sarcastic than Katniss's asks.

"This is Peeta Mellark. He's blind. I'm helping him around, just like I did to you guys," Katniss says, sounding annoyed.

"Hi, Peeta. I'm Annie. Katniss, he's cute. You two would look so good together," a girl with a soft voice says. Peeta feels his cheeks burn. He doesn't want to be the object of their staring. He can feel their stares. He just wants to disappear into the shadows.

"Yeah, you two would look so good together. Of course, Katniss might want to stop scowling so much if they do date," a boy's voice says. "Hello, good-looking, I'm Finnick Odair, but you can call me Sex God, Sexy, or King of Sex."

"I'll just stick with Finnick, thank you," Peeta says.

"You can also call him Idiot. That's what I tend to go for. I'm Johanna Mason. Stick with me, and no one will dare make fun of you," the first voice says. So they won't make fun of him? Peeta feels relieved.

"There's also Gale, but he's a year older than us. If you need to stay away from anyone, stay away from the Careers. They're pretty much the biggest jerks in the school," Katniss says.

"Calling them jerks is too nice a term. They're far worse than that. They make fun of you in any way possible. They ruin everyone's life, especially if you're new. They'll find out your dirtiest secret and expose it to the school," Johanna says.

"Really?" Peeta asks, going pale.

"Yeah. Just stay away from them. Help him stay away from them, Katniss," Finnick says.

"Who are they?" Peeta asks, terrified now. After the moment of bliss when finding that Katniss and her friends wouldn't bully him, he was told that there were even more.

"They're the richest kids here. Their parents pretty much make all the teachers love them. They're called Careers because they've already chosen their careers and will get it. The group consists of Marvel Williams, Cato Jones, Glimmer Richardson, and Clove Carter. Cato and Clove are inseparable, as are Marvel and Glimmer. It's kind of annoying, really," Katniss says.

"Finnick used to be part of them, but when he started dating Annie, they kicked him out," Johanna says.

"What was wrong with Annie?" Peeta asks.

"Nothing. She just wasn't good enough for the Careers, but it's their loss. Annie is the best person alive," Finnick says.

"You're too nice. But we're all pretty much the targets of them," Annie says.

"Why?" Peeta asks.

"We're either not in there because of our parents or because we've annoyed them. Annie's mother was mentally ill. Katniss's father died and her mother abandoned Katniss and her little sister, Prim. Finnick left them when he dated Annie. Gale's father died. And I'm just too cool for them," Johanna says.

"Who's the new kid?" a nasally voice asks.

"That's Peeta Mellark, Glimmer," Katniss says.

"Peeta? He's handsome enough, but his name sucks," the girl whose name must be Glimmer says.

"And you can speak, _Glimmer_?" Johanna asks.

"Whatever, don't get involved with that scum, Glim. But why won't he look at us. Aren't we good-looking enough?" a boy's voice asks.

"Shut up, Marvel," Finnick says.

"Well, what's wrong with him? He can do much better than hang out with you," another deep voice asks.

"Nothing's wrong with him, Cato," Annie says.

"Oi! You, Peeta! Why don't you look at us? We're not _that_ scary," a girl's voice says. Peeta hears the snapping and frantically tries to find the source of the sound, but doesn't settle on a certain spot.

"Clove, stop! Stop it!" Finnick exclaims. Peeta's still moving his head.

"I knew something was wrong with him!" the girl exclaims. "The kid's blind!" The Careers laugh. The bell rings and they leave the lunch room.

Peeta trails behind Katniss, who is holding his hand, not in a way that suggests anything more than friendship, but as a way of helping him. When they get into the classroom, Katniss sees that the seat open is in between hers and Cato's. Peeta sits in that seat without knowing that Cato is next to him. He just takes out his textbooks and runs his hand the pages covered in Braille.

* * *

Katniss is tired from showing Peeta around and allowing him to run his hand over the Braille letters under the room numbers. Now in the lunchroom, she and Peeta sit down with Johanna, Finnick, and Annie.

"So who's this?" Johanna asks.

"This is Peeta Mellark. He's blind. I'm helping him around, just like I did to you guys," Katniss says.

"Hi, Peeta. I'm Annie. Katniss, he's cute. You two would look so good together," Annie says. Katniss knows that her cheeks have turned a deep scarlet.

"Yeah, you two would look so good together. Of course, Katniss might want to stop scowling so much if they do date," Finnick says. "Hello, good-looking, I'm Finnick Odair, but you can call me Sex God, Sexy, or King of Sex."

"I'll just stick with Finnick, thank you," Peeta says.

"You can also call him Idiot. That's what I tend to go for. I'm Johanna Mason. Stick with me, and no one will dare make fun of you," Johanna says. Katniss sees Peeta look relieved, as if he expected her and her friends to all be jerks that will poke fun at him.

"There's also Gale, but he's a year older than us. If you need to stay away from anyone, stay away from the Careers. They're pretty much the biggest jerks in the school," Katniss says.

"Calling them jerks is too nice a term. They're far worse than that. They make fun of you in any way possible. They ruin everyone's life, especially if you're new. They'll find out your dirtiest secret and expose it to the school," Johanna says.

"Really?" Peeta asks, going pale.

"Yeah. Just stay away from them. Help him stay away from them, Katniss," Finnick says.

"Who are they?" Peeta asks. Katniss sees his face fall.

"They're the richest kids here. Their parents pretty much make all the teachers love them. They're called Careers because they've already chosen their careers and will get it. The group consists of Marvel Williams, Cato Jones, Glimmer Richardson, and Clove Carter. Cato and Clove are inseparable, as are Marvel and Glimmer. It's kind of annoying, really," Katniss says.

"Finnick used to be part of them, but when he started dating Annie, they kicked him out," Johanna says.

"What was wrong with Annie?" Peeta asks.

"Nothing. She just wasn't good enough for the Careers, but it's their loss. Annie is the best person alive," Finnick says.

"You're too nice. But we're all pretty much the targets of them," Annie says.

"Why?" Peeta asks.

"We're either not in there because of our parents or because we've annoyed them. Annie's mother was mentally ill. Katniss's father died and her mother abandoned Katniss and her little sister, Prim. Finnick left them when he dated Annie. Gale's father died. And I'm just too cool for them," Johanna says.

"Who's the new kid?" Glimmer asks, once the Careers walked over to the table.

"That's Peeta Mellark, Glimmer," Katniss says.

"Peeta? He's handsome enough, but his name sucks," Glimmer says.

"And you can speak, _Glimmer_?" Johanna asks.

"Whatever, don't get involved with that scum, Glim. But why won't he look at us. Aren't we good-looking enough?" Marvel asks.

"Shut up, Marvel," Finnick says.

"Well, what's wrong with him? He can do much better than hang out with you," Cato says.

"Nothing's wrong with him, Cato," Annie says.

"Oi! You, Peeta! Why don't you look at us? We're not _that_ scary," Clove says. Katniss sees Peeta hears the snapping and frantically tries to find the source of the sound, but doesn't settle on a certain spot. Katniss feels terrible for him. Can't they just stop?

"Clove, stop! Stop it!" Finnick exclaims. Peeta's still moving his head.

"I knew something was wrong with him!" Clove exclaims, looking quite pleased with herself. "The kid's blind!" The Careers laugh. The bell rings and they leave the lunch room.

Katniss helps Peeta to the next classroom, holding his hand. She doesn't mean it to be romantic, or even friendly, but she feels good about it. She likes how soft his hand is and how gentle his grip is. He's an amiable person, but Katniss refuses to really pay attention to that. She doesn't like how she likes him. Being friends with him would only mean more trouble for her. The Careers obviously hate him more than her, at the moment. She didn't want to change that by drawing attention to herself.

But when they get to the classroom and sees that the only seat open for Peeta is next to Cato, she gets uneasy. She may not want to, but she cares for him. Katniss doesn't want Peeta to be tormented by the Careers. And she knows what Peeta sitting near Cato will do. Not that she wants to admit it, though.

**A/N: Was that chapter good? Please review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thank you to the 9 reviewers, 8 followers, and 6 favorites!**

Chapter 5

Peeta feels a hand grab him by the shirt and shove him against what feels like a locker. He hears his cane drop to the floor. Is this Katniss, giving him a false sense of security only to hurt him? No, it can't be. She said she would never do anything like this. But she has a reason to. No one can _really_ be friends with such a mistake.

"Oi! Cato! What do you think you're doing?" a voice that sounds like Katniss's exclaims. So it must be Cato holding him up. After the class ended, Katniss took his hand. Why did she let go?

"Why don't you shut up, Everdeen?" the nasally voice that belongs to Glimmer asks with a giggle.

"Why don't stop pinching your nose, Richardson?" a snarky voice, belonging to Johanna, asks.

"My voice is naturally like this, you disgusting little demon!" Glimmer exclaims. Peeta feels Cato's hand leave his shirt. Peeta falls to the ground. He feels many hands on him, helping him up when he hears the sound of a fist making contact with a jaw.

It's a sound that Peeta has heard many times before, not just on his own jaw, but on his brothers' too. His mother would always punch him the most, though. And although Peeta never liked the truth, he knew it. It was because he was blind. After all, how could he ever forget how much of a disappointment he turned out to be? He was reminded every day. He doesn't mind, though. It doesn't matter. He knows that his mother speaks the truth, and his brothers just try to make him feel better about it by feeding him lies about how great he is.

"That's what you get, Everdeen!" Peeta hears Cato's voice yell. There's a sound of a slap.

"Did you like that, Catie? There's more where that came from!" Katniss exclaims.

"My name's Cato!" Cato growls.

"Oh, I know. I just think that you look more like a Catie," Katniss says. More sounds of hitting and punching occur.

"Come on, Peeta. Let's just get you to your next class," Annie's soft voice whispers in Peeta's ear and begins to take him to his next class. Johanna hands him his cane. But Peeta is still worried for Katniss.

* * *

Katniss doesn't know what happened. One minute, she's holding Peeta's hand on the way to their next class. The next, he's against a locker. Cato holds him up and raises his hand threateningly, like he's about to punch the poor boy.

"Oi! Cato! What do you think you're doing?" Katniss exclaims, impulsively. Cato looks behind him to see Katniss standing there, holding her fist the way he's holding his.

"Why don't you shut up, Everdeen?" Katniss cringes at Glimmer's horrible voice. Glimmer giggles and twirls her golden curls.

"Why don't stop pinching your nose, Richardson?" Johanna asks, standing behind Katniss. Katniss looks behind and sees Johanna, Annie, Finnick, and Gale. Gale came? Why?

"I texted him and told him we needed backup," Johanna whispers in Katniss's ear, though it's barely audible.

"My voice is naturally like this, you disgusting little demon!" Glimmer exclaims.

Katniss pulls Cato off of Peeta. Katniss raises her fist and punches Cato. His hand flies to his jaw. He attempts to punch her, but she ducks. Her hunter's instinct kicks in so she knows when to duck and jump. But he actually gets her one time, punching her in the stomach.

"That's what you get, Everdeen!" Cato yells triumphantly. But Katniss, fed up with Cato's crap, slaps him.

"Did you like that, Catie? There's more where that came from!" Katniss exclaims.

"My name's Cato!" Cato growls.

"Oh, I know. I just think that you look more like a Catie," Katniss says, looking him up and down. Cato attempts to punch her, but she jumps back and kicks him in the face.

While fighting Cato, she watches as Gale, Annie, Finnick, and Johanna help Peeta away. She makes sure he gets away safely. She hates this feeling of caring. She hates having to want someone other than her other friends be safe. And she wants to befriend him, but this feeling is not the feeling that she had with her other friends, a feeling of being able to talk and laugh with them. She wants to confide in Peeta. She wants to feel good around him. And God, she hasn't felt good in so long, at least not without a razor in her hands.

"Is that all you got, Everdeen?" Clove asks, crossing her arms, right behind Cato, who is holding his fist up like he's going to hit Katniss again. Katniss just throws back her head and laughs.

"You all are too much of cowards. You would never do anything to hurt such a poor defenseless girl, would you?" Katniss asks, smiling. She backs away into a classroom's door. That's when she gets an idea.

"We can take you down with our eyes closed!" Marvel exclaims.

"Oh, really? Try to take me down. You can do it with your eyes open, if you want," Katniss says, gripping the doorknob. Cato throws a punch. Katniss throws open the door and falls back into the classroom.

It's Mr. Cinna's class, so she got lucky. The teacher loves Katniss.

"Mr. Jones, would you like to explain what happened?" Mr. Cinna asks, raising an eyebrow. Katniss sees Cato go pale.

"No, sir," Cato says.

"Miss Everdeen, care to explain?" Mr. Cinna asks, an amused smile on his face.

"I'd love to. I was just helping Peeta along when Cato attacked us. He started throwing punches and tried to hurt Peeta and me!" Katniss exclaims. It's the truth.

"Alright, Katniss, did you fight back?" Mr. Cinna asks.

"Yes! She did! She gave me these bruises!" Cato exclaims.

"Well, I have no choice to give both of you detention," Mr. Cinna shrugs. Katniss smirks at Cato, whose shoulders are hung in defeat.

On the way out of the classroom, Katniss whispers to Cato, "That's what you get, you utter moron." Even though she has to serve detention, too, she's happy that Cato will have to do it, too.

**A/N: Did you like that chapter? Please review! I'm hoping to have ten reviews by the time I post the next chapter!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Thanks to every one of my lovely 13 reviewers, 15 followers, and 9 favorites! **

Chapter 6

"We're here, Peeta," Bannock says, having sobered up during school.

"Great," Peeta grumbles, not looking forward to the abuse that he knows he'll have to suffer when he walks in the door.

"Bannock, look. Mom's car isn't in the driveway. Good news, eh, Peeta?" Rye says.

"Yeah, it's wonderful," Peeta says, breathing a sigh of relief. Bannock takes out a key and unlocks the door to the house. They all go in. There's a note lying on the kitchen table.

"What's this?" Rye asks and reads it out. "My pathetic children, I'll be at the bakery until after dinner. It'll be like this every day after school, so be prepared. You will all work on weekends, except Peeta, the little screw-up. If you feel like eating tonight, figure it out for yourselves."

"You know she doesn't mean it, Peeta," Bannock says.

"No, she does. She wants me dead. I don't blame her," Peeta sighs and picks up all his stuff. He begins to walk off, feeling around to know where he is.

"Peeta, wait! She doesn't mean it!" Rye yells.

"Just leave me alone!" Peeta yells, braving the stairs.

"Peeta, it's not true! Just listen to us!" Bannock shouts up.

"No!" Peeta screams and hides in the bedroom.

Time passes. He waits in his room for something. He doesn't know what. Maybe for his mother to come home and yell at him for being so stupid. Maybe for Rye or Bannock to tell him that it's time for dinner. He doesn't know what. He just waits.

"Peeta, some person is here and says that she's your friend," Rye says, knocking on the door.

"Peeta, it's me. It's Katniss," Katniss says.

"Oh. Come in," Peeta mutters, standing up and feeling around. He opens the door and feels a figure come in.

"Thanks. Are you okay?" Katniss asks.

"Shouldn't I be asking you?" Peeta asks. He hears his bedsprings sink, so he knows that Katniss has sat down. He uses his cane to maneuver through the room he shares with Rye and sits down next to Katniss.

"Detention. I got detention for 'attacking' Cato. Best part is that he got detention, too," Katniss says. "You okay?"  
"Yeah. Of course I'm okay. I deserved it, you know," Peeta says with a shrug.

"What do you mean? How did you deserve it?" Katniss asks.

"You barely know me, but you know that I'm blind. And I don't blame you for not knowing yet, but I'm just a waste of space. You would have learned sometime," Peeta says.

"What do you mean? You're not a waste of space, Peeta," Katniss says, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, I am. I know that I am. Don't pretend that I'm not. I can't do anything right. My mother didn't want a third child. And when she found out that she was pregnant, she wanted a girl. And when she found out I was a boy, she wanted me to be normal. And when she found out that I was blind, she decided to drill it into my mind that I was a screw-up. And I know that she's right. I don't have many friends. I only have you, Johanna, Finnick, and Annie. Gale seems nice. But you're the only one who I feel like I can trust," Peeta says.

"You know, I really should go," Katniss says.

"Oh. Bye," Peeta says, feeling a blush. Katniss leaves, and as soon as he knows that she's gone, he whispers, "Great job, Peeta. You _had _to scare her off."

* * *

"Really, Katniss. What happened?" Prim sighs, looking at the bruises on her older sister's face.

"I got into a fight," Katniss mumbles, looking at the ground.

"Why, Katniss?" Prim asks.

"Because I had to. Cato was threatening Peeta," Katniss says.

"Peeta? Who's Peeta?" Prim asks and Katniss remembers that Prim and Peeta haven't met.

"Oh, he's just a new boy. He and his family just moved in," Katniss rolls her eyes.

"Oh. Is he nice? How has he already made an enemy?" Prim asks.

"It's Cato. You know what he's like," Katniss says.

"Yeah. Rue will be here soon, though," Prim says. Rue is Prim's best friend.

"Oh. I'll go visit Peeta and see if he's okay," Katniss says and leaves.

She walks to a large house that is much bigger than her own. Is this his house? It says "Mellark Residence" on the mailbox, so it must be. She braves the idea of horrible people behind that door and knocks on it. Who knows? They might be completely nice.

"Hello, beautiful," an older version of Peeta smiles as he opens the door. "I'm Rye Mellark, and you are?"  
"Katniss Everdeen. I'm here to see Peeta," Katniss says.

"Oh, why would you want to see him when you can be with me?" Rye asks.

"Lay off her, Rye," another voice says.

"Fine. You want to see Peeta? Come on. He's up in our shared room," Rye says.

"Thanks," Katniss says and is led upstairs.

"Peeta, some person is here and says that she's your friend," Rye says, knocking on the door.

"Peeta, it's me. It's Katniss," Katniss says.

"Oh. Come in," Peeta mutters. He opens the door and Katniss walks in.

"Thanks. Are you okay?" Katniss asks.

"Shouldn't I be asking you?" Peeta asks. Katniss sits down and watches as Peeta tries to find his way to his bed. He sits next to her.

"Detention. I got detention for 'attacking' Cato. Best part is that he got detention, too," Katniss says. "You okay?"  
"Yeah. Of course I'm okay. I deserved it, you know," Peeta says with a shrug.

"What do you mean? How did you deserve it?" Katniss asks.

"You barely know me, but you know that I'm blind. And I don't blame you for not knowing yet, but I'm just a waste of space. You would have learned sometime," Peeta says.

"What do you mean? You're not a waste of space, Peeta," Katniss says, laying a hand on his shoulder.

"Yes, I am. I know that I am. Don't pretend that I'm not. I can't do anything right. My mother didn't want a third child. And when she found out that she was pregnant, she wanted a girl. And when she found out I was a boy, she wanted me to be normal. And when she found out that I was blind, she decided to drill it into my mind that I was a screw-up. And I know that she's right. I don't have many friends. I only have you, Johanna, Finnick, and Annie. Gale seems nice. But you're the only one who I feel like I can trust," Peeta says.

"You know, I really should go," Katniss says, getting uncomfortable.

"Oh. Bye," Peeta says, feeling a blush. Katniss runs out the door.

"Bye, beautiful," she hears Rye say, but she keeps running.

Once she's in her own room, pushing past Rue and Prim in the process, she sits on the floor and thinks.

"What did you do, Katniss? Why did you have to let yourself fall for him?" Katniss murmurs to herself.

**A/N: Was that good? Please leave me a review and let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Hello! Thank you to my 16 reviewers, 21 followers, and 11 favorites! You guys are the best! And I'm sorry for this chapter being so late. It was really hard to write.**

Chapter 7

Peeta is anxious. Yesterday made him a bit on edge. What will he do when Katniss comes to their first class?

"So she just left?" Johanna asks.

"Yeah. We were just talking and she…left. What do I do, Jo?" Peeta asks.

"Why don't you talk to her? Here's your chance; she just walked in," Johanna says.

"Where is she?" Peeta asks.

"Hi, Katniss," Johanna says in response.

"Hi, Johanna. Hi, Peeta," Peeta can hear Katniss say. Her voice is but a whisper when she acknowledges Peeta.

"Hi, Katniss," he says.

She sits next to him and whispers, "Maybe it's best if we try to forget what happened yesterday."

"Why? I only told you that I trust you. What's wrong with that? Wait. Do you not want to be my friend? I'm sorry," Peeta says, feeling his cheeks burn.

"No. I want to be your friend. It's nothing," Katniss says.

"Really? Are you sure?" Peeta asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Katniss says, but tries to ignore him.

Throughout the day, Peeta wonders why Katniss isn't talking to him that much. The only time she talks to him is if the halls are crowded and he needs to be careful or something like that. But it isn't like the usual conversations that they have. And then it hits him. The realization. He realizes the real reason she isn't talking to him. She just doesn't like him anymore. It's exactly like he said yesterday. She doesn't want anything to do with a screw-up like him. He understands why. If he were in her place, he wouldn't like him either. But he can't believe that he's already managed to lose friends. Well, he still has Johanna, Annie, and Finnick. But it's only a matter of time before they realize that he shouldn't be alive.

Finally, school ends. And again, Katniss mutters but a few words to him, telling him that she has to go to detention. So Peeta and his brothers walk home in silence. Peeta is only staying quiet because he's thinking about how he just wants to die. Rye and Bannock are only staying quiet because they know that if Peeta is thinking deeply, they shouldn't bother him. It means that he's troubled and he doesn't want anyone to talk to him.

"Crap. _He's_ home," Bannock says, unable to keep quiet when they approach their home.

"What? He's not supposed to come for another three months. I thought we had time to think of a perfect hiding spot for Peeta," Rye says. Their father is home. Whenever he's home, Peeta is abused even more. His father hates him, just like his mother. Peeta will never bring Mr. Mellark fortune. He won't be able to work like Mr. Mellark wants him to.

"I'll hide in the woods, then," Peeta says.

"Okay. We'll get you dinner later. I'm sorry," Bannock says.

"Boys!" they hear a yell. Their father yells out the open front door.

"Never mind," Peeta says. They all walk inside.

"Hi, Dad," the three Mellark boys say.

"Bannock, you look so handsome and mature. You'll need that when you run the bakery. Rye, you look wonderful, like a true businessman. When you become an accountant, you'll look the part. And Peeta. You look like a pathetic excuse for a boy; of course you wouldn't know that. You're a disgrace to the Mellark family name. We were a good family. We were a normal family. But you came along and messed us up," Mr. Mellark sneers.

"Dad, that's enough," Rye says.

"No, it's not. Peeta needs to understand that he is useless. He will never amount to anything. It's his fault he can't see. He just doesn't try," Mr. Mellark says.

"Dad, stop. It's not his fault. Please, just stop," Bannock says.

"No, Bannock! Why don't you and Rye go upstairs and do homework or something? I'll stay down here with your mother and this _thing_," Mr. Mellark says. Bannock and Rye look at each other.

"Yes, sir," they say at the same time. They both go upstairs, even though they know that Peeta will get abused. But they can't do anything to stop it.

When Peeta and Mr. Mellark are alone, Mr. Mellark says, "You're useless. You'll never amount to anything. You're just a waste of space. You waste food. You waste air. You should have been a stillborn."

Peeta is used to this. "I know," he whispers.

"Good. Now get out of my sight," Mr. Mellark says and slaps Peeta. Peeta nods and walks away from him, up the stairs, and into his room. When he gets up there, he begins to cry.

* * *

Katniss knows that Peeta has no idea why she's so upset. He _can't_ know. He didn't do anything wrong. He told her how he felt. And it wasn't an "I'm in love with you, Katniss!" It was simply him telling her that he sees a friend in her and feels like he can trust her. And she's probably blown any chance at a friendship with him now. Now, she sees him talking to Johanna in the back of the classroom, wringing his hands, and wearing a look of nervousness. She knows exactly why. She didn't tell him why she ran out like that. He probably thinks that _he_ did something wrong. But it's Peeta. He _never_ does anything wrong. Still, she knows what his parents think of him and what they've drilled into his head about how he's useless and worthless. So he probably thinks that he's done something wrong. If she didn't act so irrationally yesterday, maybe things would be better today.

She sucks it up, though, and walks over to them. She can't hide forever. At least, not from Mr. Undersee's class. She's tried.

"Hi, Katniss," Johanna says when she approaches.

"Hi, Johanna. Hi, Peeta," Katniss says, her voice barely above a whisper when she addresses Peeta.

"Hi, Katniss," he says.

She sits next to him and whispers, "Maybe it's best if we try to forget what happened yesterday."

"Why? I only told you that I trust you. What's wrong with that? Wait. Do you not want to be my friend? I'm sorry," Peeta says, blushing.

"No. I want to be your friend. It's nothing," Katniss says, immediately feeling bad and wanting to kill his parents for ever telling him that he's not good enough.

"Really? Are you sure?" Peeta asks.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Katniss says, but tries to ignore him.

And for Katniss, the day drags on. Mrs. Trinket's Home Ec. Class is as boring as ever. Mr. Abernathy is a drunken mess while he tries to teach History. And throughout the day, Katniss can't help sneaking glances at Peeta. Towards the beginning of the day, he tried to talk to her, but it soon became evident that she didn't want to talk to him. So whenever she looks at him, she just sees him hunched over his Braille books, running his fingers along the bumps.

Finally, the bell rings. Peeta stands up and leaves quickly, but Katniss stays slumped in her seat. Cato sits next to her.

"Go away, Cato," she snaps.

"Can't do that. Detention, remember?" Cato laughs.

"Yeah, I remember. But I was hoping that because you're so rich and never let anyone forget it, someone would bail you out or something," Katniss rolls her eyes.

"No. I decided to take the highroad and take my punishment like a man. I see you're doing the same thing," Cato says.

"Alright, welcome to detention! If it were up to me, you would be going home right now so I could return to my wine cellar. But seeing as Principal Crane won't let me do that, I'll just sit here with a beer and let you talk amongst yourselves. And no one mentions that this is what you were doing in detention, okay?" Mr. Abernathy grumbles. They all nod.

"So what did you do to Peeta? He's upset. Of course, if I was forced to have every class with you and sit next to you in all of them, I'd be upset, too," Cato says and laughs.

"You're so funny, Cato. Stop before I die laughing," Katniss says.

"Oh, you're just in denial. You want to join the Careers and you know it," Cato says.

"If I wanted to join the Careers, I'd have to lose 50 IQ points before that's even a possibility," Katniss says.

"We're plenty smart," Cato defends his beloved group.

"You were. Until Finch moved away. Face it; you're nothing without one smart person in your group," Katniss says, picks up her bag, and leaves.

"Bye, Everdeen. Tell Crane you served the whole of detention," Mr. Abernathy calls after her.

She runs into the woods, ditching her backpack where she keeps her bow and quiver full of arrows. Then, she goes out and just shoots. She forgets about everything at school and just shoots. Peeta, the same boy who lives only three doors down, is probably mad at her. So she runs through the woods so that she's behind his house. Maybe she can throw rocks on his window and apologize. A bit cliché, but if his mother is as bad as he says, she can't risk going through the house. But as she looks up to his window, she sees him being punched. She knows it's Peeta. The man who punched him in the jaw looks older and bigger than Peeta's brothers. And his brothers would never hurt Peeta.

Peeta is punched again. She hears the man attacking Peeta shouting at him. The window is open. She hears Peeta say he's sorry. Peeta is pushed against the open window. Katniss sees the man attacking him. He looks like Peeta, a bit. Who could he be? And it hits her. Peeta's father is hitting him. And it looks like Peeta is about to be pushed out of the open window, if one of Peeta's brothers didn't call for their father. Katniss runs through the woods, back to her house, trying to forget what she just saw. Maybe it'll go away if she goes away. But she knows that it won't. And her knowledge makes her want to kill Cato and the rest of the Careers. He's getting enough abuse at home.

**A/N: What did you think of the chapter? I know it's really late! Please leave a review!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'm so sorry for not updating, but I'm busy and an idiot. Thank you to my 22 reviewers, 25 followers, and 12 favorites.**

Chapter 8

"Are you sure you're okay?" Rye asks Peeta when they're outside of the school. "You can leave now. There's still time."

"No, I'm fine," Peeta says. Last night, Peeta had been Mr. Mellark's target. It wasn't a surprise, but his right eye is swollen shut and his left knee is dislocated.

"Are you sure you still don't want to see a doctor about your knee? Mom and Dad don't have to know," Bannock says.

"I'm fine. The doctors will wonder why I'm there so often. So I'll be fine here," Peeta tells them. Rye and Bannock used to take Peeta to the doctor when he was hurt, but Mr. and Mrs. Mellark would find out, take him back home, and hurt him even more.

"Okay…" Bannock sighs, not believing him.

Peeta limps to his first class and sits down. Katniss is already there.

"Are you okay?" Katniss asks.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Peeta asks.

"You're limping and your eye is swollen shut. I kind of figured that something was wrong," Katniss says.

"Well, I'm fine. How are you?" Peeta asks.

"Fine. Why?" Katniss asks.

"Because I want to know what my friend is up to," Peeta shrugs.

"Katniss Everdeen, Principal Crane wants you," Mr. Undersee says. Katniss sighs and leaves.

When she's gone, Johanna asks, "So what's happening between you and Everdeen?"

"What do you mean?" Peeta asks.

"I mean, she likes you," Johanna says.

"Well, that's good, isn't it? Don't you like me?" Peeta asks, confused.

"Yeah, but not like she likes you. She loves you," Johanna says.

"Shut up, Jo. You that that isn't true," Peeta blushes.

"Maybe not love. But she has feelings for you," Johanna says.

"You wouldn't know that if you had known what happened yesterday," Peeta says.

"That's the thing, though. Katniss is scared to admit that she loves anyone. Not after her father died. Her mother became a shell of her former self. Katniss doesn't want that to happen to her. So she doesn't want to admit it. She's scared," Johanna says.

"Mason! Mellark! Stop talking and pay attention to class!" Mr. Undersee exclaims and returns to teaching.

* * *

Katniss tries to get the image of what happened last night out of her head, but she can't. It's so hard, trying to forget her friend screaming that he's sorry when nothing is his fault. It's so hard, trying to forget her friend getting beaten by his father, a man who is supposed to love him. And walking into Mr. Undersee's class, she doesn't know what to do. Peeta isn't here yet, so she feels as if she was given time as a gift.

She knows that she can't tell Peeta what she saw. He would think that she was spying on him. And she can't show too much interest after yesterday. She ignored him, and she can't just go in and act as if it didn't happen, but she wants so badly for it to be okay. She wants his abuse to stop. She can't tell the Careers to stop because then, they'd ask why. And she can't tell them why because then, they would want to do it even more. She can't tell anyone because it can go two ways. 1) No one would believe her. Or 2) Peeta and his brothers would be taken away from their home and sent to some foster care program. Katniss doesn't want to lose Peeta. But she also doesn't want him to be killed by his parents. She's confused about what she should do.

Peeta limps into the room. Time's up for her to think of anything to do. And it's obvious that more abuse took place in her absence.

"Are you okay?" Katniss asks.

"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Peeta asks.

"You're limping and your eye is swollen shut. I kind of figured that something was wrong," Katniss says.

"Well, I'm fine. How are you?" Peeta asks.

"Fine. Why?" Katniss asks.

"Because I want to know what my friend is up to," Peeta shrugs.

"Katniss Everdeen, Principal Crane wants you," Mr. Undersee says. Katniss sighs and leaves.

She wonders what the principal wants with her. She's done so much; she doesn't know what he wants.

"What do you want with me?" she asks when she enters the office. But then she sees a man that looks like an older version of Peeta. It's his father. Why does he want her?  
"Miss Everdeen, Mr. Mellark would like to speak with you in private. What did you do now?" Principal Crane asks and leaves the room.

"Miss Everdeen? What's your first name?" Mr. Mellark asks.

"And I should tell you why?" Katniss asks.

"Listen, young lady, whatever your name is, I want you to stop spying on my house," Mr. Mellark.

"What are you talking about?" Katniss asks, appearing confused, but on the inside, she's panicking.

"You were in the woods last night, looking at my house. And I want that to stop," Mr. Mellark says.

"Why would I spy on you?" Katniss asks.

"Did you want to speak to Rye or Bannock? Because you could've asked," Mr. Mellark says.

"Oh, _that_. I wasn't spying on you. I wanted to speak to Peeta," Katniss says.

"Who is Peeta?" Mr. Mellark asks.

"Your son," I say.

"Peeta Mellark is not _my_ son. Peeta Mellark is a curse. He is not mine. Peeta Mellark is an embarrassment and a disgrace. He was a screw-up from the time he was born. So I can assure you, Miss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark is not my son," Mr. Mellark says.

Katniss stands up from the chair that she had sat in when she walked in and stood just inches away from his face.

"Peeta Mellark is _not_ a curse. Peeta Mellark is _not_ an embarrassment or a disgrace. He is _not_ a screw-up. And, like it or not, he _is_ your son," Katniss says.

"He is everything I just said," Mr. Mellark says.

"No, he is not! He is kind and generous! He is gentle! He is wonderful! He wouldn't hurt a fly! He is smart! He is a fantastic person and an amazing friend! Don't you dare say another word against him!" Katniss yells and storms out of Principal Crane's office, leaving Mr. Mellark speechless.

**A/N: Did you like it? I know, I know, Peeta's part was really short and Katniss's was longer, but I had no ideas for Peeta's part. Review?**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: So it's another chapter. Yay! No. Have you ever followed a fanfic and then you're like, "Why did I do that? It sucks." Well, that's probably everyone's reaction when they see that I have posted a chapter. Anyways, thank you to my 28 reviewers, 27 followers, and 13 favorites!**

Chapter 9

Peeta thinks about what Johanna said yesterday. Could it be true? He already knows why Katniss was called to the office. His father wouldn't stop going on about how Katniss was "spying on private property at a completely inappropriate time". And that got Peeta thinking. Was Katniss really spying on him? Why? Why did she ignore him in the day and spy on him at night? Is it even true that she was spying? It could all be a misunderstanding, and Peeta respects his friends, and will give them the benefit of the doubt.

"Hi, Peeta," Katniss says, sitting next to him.

"Hi, Katniss. Is it true you were spying on me?" Peeta asks. He didn't mean for it to be blurted out like that. He wanted it to be subtle. _So much for being subtle,_ he thought to himself.

"No. I wasn't spying. I wanted to talk to you and apologize, but you looked preoccupied with getting the crap beaten out of you," Katniss says. Peeta pales.

"You saw that?" he asks.

"Yeah. And don't worry, I'll take you to a doctor if you need me to," Katniss offers.

"No!" Peeta protests. "If you do, they'll find out. They _always_ find out. Then, they'll beat me even more."

"That's it. I'm telling someone," Katniss says, standing up.

"No! You can't. I'll be taken away. I'll be sent across the country, separated from my brothers! Separated from my friends! I can't let that happen!" Peeta exclaims.

"You might not be taken away. You might just get help and have a relative come here and take care of you and your brothers," Katniss says.

"And if I am sent away? Please, Katniss, don't," Peeta pleads. Seeing his desperate expression, Katniss sighs.

"Fine," Katniss says, sitting back down.

And throughout the day, Peeta believes her, thinking that she would just drop it. But halfway through their fourth period class, Katniss asks to go to the councilor. That doesn't matter, does it? But then he catches on. She's Katniss. She's stubborn. She would never let something like that go. He says that he has to go to the bathroom and runs out of the room, trying to catch up to Katniss.

He's never had to go to the councilor, so he forgets the way. He runs through the halls, trying to find it, running his fingers over the Braille on the plaques outside each door, trying desperately to stop Katniss, but he can't find it.

"Excuse me, young man, shouldn't you be in class?" the icy voice of Vice Principal Alma Coin asks.

"But…" Peeta begins.

"No buts! Go back to class!" Vice Principal Coin screeches. So Peeta sighs, knowing that he won't be able to find it, and he should just get back to class. He knows the way, so he shuffles his feet back to his class.

Katniss is nervous. Mr. Mellark has probably told Peeta never to speak to her again. And she can't go against Peeta's father in front of Peeta. Peeta thinks that Mr. Mellark is always right. How can Peeta not understand that his father is poison? And Katniss knows now more than ever that she needs to tell someone about the abuse that Peeta receives. He'll protest; she knows that much. But she needs to tell someone. She at least needs to tell Peeta to stand up for himself. He's already there. _Just do it like you're ripping off a bandage,_ Katniss thinks.

"Hi, Peeta," Katniss says, sitting next to him.

"Hi, Katniss. Is it true you were spying on me?" Peeta asks. He's onto her.

"No. I wasn't spying. I wanted to talk to you and apologize, but you looked preoccupied with getting the crap beaten out of you," Katniss says. Peeta pales.

"You saw that?" he asks.

"Yeah. And don't worry, I'll take you to a doctor if you need me to," Katniss offers.

"No!" Peeta protests. "If you do, they'll find out. They _always_ find out. Then, they'll beat me even more."

"That's it. I'm telling someone," Katniss says, standing up.

"No! You can't. I'll be taken away. I'll be sent across the country, separated from my brothers! Separated from my friends! I can't let that happen!" Peeta exclaims.

"You might not be taken away. You might just get help and have a relative come here and take care of you and your brothers," Katniss says.

"And if I am sent away? Please, Katniss, don't," Peeta pleads. Seeing his desperate expression, Katniss sighs.

"Fine," Katniss says, sitting back down.

But she isn't done. She thinks of a way to tell someone without Peeta knowing, but Peeta is smart. She knows that. After all, she _did_ scream that at his father yesterday. But Peeta doesn't go to the councilor's office. Katniss remembers telling him where it is briefly, but it can't have stuck. And if he does remember, she at least has a lead.

In fourth period, she tells the teacher that she has to go to the councilor's office. She doesn't wait for Peeta to catch on. She runs out of the classroom and makes her way to the office. She makes a plan. What will she say? How will she do it? How is she supposed to do it? Should she blurt it out? Should she make small talk before? Oh, God, why is this so hard?  
She walks into the councilor's office. The councilor, Portia, is on the phone.

"Yes, we will release our students, too…I'm so sorry…Yes…No…How many? Injured? Dead? Oh, no…I'm so sorry…Yes, goodbye," Portia says and hangs up. Addressing Katniss, she says, "One moment, dear." She picks up the intercom and says, "Students, you will be released early. Please leave calmly and orderly. There was a shooting at Panem Middle School. Please go home and stay safe." Katniss's eyes widen. "I'm sorry, Katniss, I can talk to you tomorrow. Honestly, I don't know how Principal Crane handles all of the phone calls and-" Portia says, but Katniss runs out of the room before Portia can finish. Katniss runs to Panem Middle School, scared for Prim.

**A/N: Principal Crane was in a meeting, so Portia was handling all of that. Sorry, I didn't know how to make that apparent. Review?**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So after thinking about how I would do this chapter, I decided to focus it on Katniss because Peeta does nothing but go home and worry. And I could not stretch worrying and walking home to being 300-600 words unless I wrote, "Peeta puts his right foot in front of his left foot. He then puts his left foot in front of his right foot. He repeats again and again." So this chapter is all about Katniss. And thank you to my 35 reviewers, 29 followers, and 15 favorites!**

Chapter 10

Katniss runs all the way to Panem Middle School, her head swimming. _She's a good girl. She'll be alive. She probably left as soon as she heard shots ring out. _It's all Katniss can do to keep herself sane. Finally, the school comes into view. She sees Rory Hawthorne hanging his head down. It looks like he's crying, or at least, he has been.

"Rory!" she yells, approaching him. He looks up, his eyes red and puffy. "Where's Prim?" she asks. Rory points to an ambulance. Katniss runs to the ambulance and fights her way to sit with Prim in the ambulance. But she's too late.

She begins to chase it, but Gale comes and lets her in his car.

"Are you okay?" he asks. Katniss is crying.

"Prim is in an ambulance, probably dead," Katniss cries.

"I'm sorry. We'll get you to the hospital so you can be with her. What about Rory? Is he okay?" Gale asks.

"He's alive. He's fine," Katniss says.

"Okay, we're almost there. Do you mind if I go back? I need to be with Rory," Gale says.

"Yeah. I'll be fine here. I can stay here with Prim. I'll text you if I need to be picked up," Katniss says.

"Thank you, Kat," Gale says.

"Will you make sure that Peeta gets home safely?" she asks.

"Of course," Gale says. They arrive at the hospital, and Katniss runs into the hospital.

"Primrose Everdeen," she tells the woman at the desk. The woman tells her a number, and Katniss sprints to the room. She runs into the room.

"Hi, Katniss," Prim says when Katniss walks in.

"Prim, are you okay? What happened?" Katniss asks.

"Two gunshots. One in the arm and one in the stomach. It's only a matter of time. I'm so sorry, Katniss," Prim says.

"No, Prim. Don't," Katniss says, more tears streaming down her face.

"Katniss, don't kid yourself. Please, just let me go," Prim says, sighing.

"No, Prim. You can't. I won't let you. Please, stay. I will do anything. I will shoot myself in the arm and stomach if it means that you can live," Katniss cries.

"That's not how it works. You know that," Prim says.

"I know, but…but you have something to live for!" Katniss exclaims.

"You do, too, Katniss," Prim says, but Katniss isn't listening.

"You have Rory, Rue, and me to think about. Even Mother. Everyone loves you. Everyone will miss you. No one needs me. I'll die if you can live," Katniss says.

"Everyone needs you. I need you. Mother needs you. Gale needs you. Johanna, Finnick, and Annie need you. Peeta needs you. He needs you more than you can know. Don't think so badly about yourself. But me, I'm dying. Please, Katniss, let me go. Just let me go," Prim says.

"I can't do that, Prim. I love you. You're my little sister. I need you to stay. Just hang on. Please," Katniss begs, but Prim can already feel the life draining out of her. She was pale before, but she's turned paler.

"Katniss…no…please don't worry. Just remember that I love you," Prim says. The beeping that represents her heartbeat slows. It slows even more until it finally stops.

"No! Prim! Prim! Come back! Please!" Katniss yells. Doctors rush in and pull Katniss off of Prim's lifeless body. Katniss was trying to bring Prim back by doing CPR, but it didn't work. She's taken from the room, kicking and screaming. She is forced to sit outside of the room as doctors do whatever they can. They scramble in and out of Prim's room, but after a few moments, they come back out, their eyes focused on the floor.

"Miss Everdeen?" one of the doctors asks.

"Yes?" Katniss asks.

"We…we did what we could. But nothing worked. Prim…Prim is dead," the doctor says, avoiding eye contact.

"What? No. No. This can't be happening. Prim can't be dead. She can't be. You're wrong. You're lying," Katniss concludes and goes back into Prim's room, only to see a white sheet over her dear sister's beautiful face. Katniss sits next to her and cries for an hour.

After an hour, doctors force her to leave. So Katniss sits in the waiting room, but she's not waiting for anything. She just knows that her mother will sink farther into her depression. Without Prim, there's one less mouth to feed. But Katniss doesn't mind feeding Prim. She minds feeding her mother, but her mother is still alive and asking for more food with every meal that Katniss gets. Wicked things always happen to the best people.

Gale and Rory walk in. When they see Katniss crying, they instantly know that Prim is either dead or dying.

"Is she okay?" Rory asks, refusing to believe that his girlfriend is dead.

"She's dead, Rory. I'm so sorry," Katniss says.

"Oh my God. No. No," Rory says. He begins to cry, muttering for Prim to come back.

"Who was it? Who shot everyone?" Katniss asks.

"It was Brutus. I don't know why he did it. He doesn't even go to our school. But I was in the library with Prim. We were working on a project when we heard the first gunshot. We were confused and worried. I told Prim that I would go ask the librarian what was happening. Apparently, while my back was turned, Brutus came up behind me, ready to shoot. Prim called out, trying to distract Brutus. He shot her in the arm. The police came in, and as they grabbed him, he shot her again, that time in the stomach. I ran to her side. As the police cornered him, he shot himself. An ambulance came and picked up those injured. He injured 3 and killed 8, including himself. 2 of his kills were teachers. Now that Prim died, he's killed 9," Rory says, crying.

Katniss looks down at her hands. She knows Brutus. Well, she _knew_ Brutus. He was part of the original Careers, along with Enobaria, Gloss, and Cashmere. They graduated last year. She can't believe that Brutus killed so many people. No, it's sad because she can. What she can't believe is that Prim is dead.

**A/N: So Peeta did nothing in this chapter. The next chapter will also be centered on Katniss, just because this is a huge deal and she has a bunch of crap to deal with. Review?**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: So it's another chapter! Thank you to every one of my 41 reviewers, 31 followers, and 17 favorites!**

Chapter 11

Katniss holds up her razor, the metal glinting in the light. It's been two weeks since Prim has died, and even though everyone keeps reassuring her that they will, things are not getting better. Mrs. Everdeen has all but given up. Katniss works hard to take care of her mother, but it's too hard. Peeta's beatings have gotten worse. Katniss, hating how silent the house always is, gave him a key and let him come and go as he pleases, partly because she likes his company and partly because she wanted him to have a place where he could go before his parents beat him too badly.

Nothing is better, though. She tries to surround herself with Peeta, Johanna, Finnick, Annie, and Gale, but it doesn't always work. Rory and Rue will sometimes drop by to make sure that she's okay. She tells them that she's fine, but she isn't. Katniss feels terrible all the time and is ready for a change. It doesn't have to be a dramatic change, but it has to be a change.

So she sits on the bathroom floor. Katniss puts down the razor and picks up her pen and paper. She hunches over it and begins to write.

_People –_

_ You may wonder why I did this. Don't. It doesn't matter. Still, if you must know, there's a simple reason. I couldn't handle life anymore. Prim is gone. I will see her. And later, I will meet all of you. _

_Mom – I'm happy that I'm leaving you. You were nothing but a burden to me. I hunted all of the time and you only asked for more food. _

_Johanna – You were cool. Ask Gale out on a date. Just do it. And, when I'm gone, make the lives of the Careers miserable._

_Finnick – You were so amazing. I hope that you and Annie grow old together. You two will be so wonderful. _

_Annie – You were so sweet. You're always so kind to everyone. I hope that you and Finnick have the best life together. _

_Gale – You were my best friend. You were always there for me. Please remember me in the best way. Take care of my mother, will you? Thank you._

_Peeta – I have thought and thought about what I would say to you. So I'll begin simply: I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I never told you what I was thinking. I'm sorry that I never told you how I really felt. The truth is that I'm scared. I'm scared of being made weak by love. Yes, I love you. So don't lord it over my dead body. Tell whoever you like, it won't matter. But remember me. _

- _Katniss_

Satisfied, she lays the note down on the floor. She stands and opens the door so that people can find her. Katniss picks up her razor again and holds out her wrist. One cut, two. Three cuts, four. She watches her blood trickle down her arm. She keeps cutting until she passes out. _Goodbye,_ she thinks.

* * *

"So, Peeta, how's your girlfriend?" Bannock asks when they're alone.

"She's not my girlfriend, Bannock," Peeta says, turning a bright red.

"Of course she isn't," Mr. Mellark says, appearing in the doorway.

"What?" Bannock asks, turning around.

"_That_ could never get a girlfriend. He's completely worthless," Mr. Mellark says.

"Dad, stop," Bannock says.

"Your father's right," Mrs. Mellark says, coming to stand next to her husband.

"He isn't. Peeta's great," Bannock says.

"No, he isn't. He's horrible. He's a disappointment," Mrs. Mellark says.

"He doesn't have any friends, does he? Jesus Christ, Peeta, how long have we been here?" Mr. Mellark asks. Peeta remains silent. He hates it, but he stays quiet, not wanting to stir things up even more.

"Please, just stop," Bannock says.

"No, Bannock! Stay out of it!" Mr. Mellark yells. He goes over to Peeta and slaps him. Peeta's face stings, but he doesn't do anything. Mrs. Mellark laughs and punches him. Peeta runs out of the house, Bannock right behind him.

"Off to disappear again? Wherever you're going, stay there!" Mrs. Mellark yells after them.

Peeta runs three doors down. Bannock has the key and opens the door for him.

"Katniss!" Peeta calls when he walks in.

"I'll look for her. Stay here," Bannock says. Peeta sits down and waits.

Bannock opens the first door he sees. It looks untouched. There's an outfit lying on the bed. The walls are pink and there are pictures on the walls. The pictures are of bands and a girl and boy together. She looks a bit like Katniss, and Bannock knows that he's in Prim's room. He gets nervous, and leaves. He doesn't know why, but he doesn't want to be in his brother's friend's dead little sister's room.

He looks into other rooms. He sees Mrs. Everdeen asleep on her bed. He finally comes across the bathroom at the end of the hall. He sees Katniss lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, a razor in her hand. There's a note on the floor. Bannock takes his phone out of his pocket and calls an ambulance. Her heart is faintly beating. He just hopes that she can hang on, not because he cares about her, but because he cares about his brother.

**A/N: Did you like it? I know, I started with Katniss. Sue me. **


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Okay, so in this chapter, Katniss is in the hospital. Thank you to my wonderful 46 reviewers, 34 followers, and 19 favorites!**

Chapter 12

Katniss opens her eyes to see the sterile white room surrounding her. It's 1:28 in the morning. She holds up her hand, and in the faint light coming through the window, she can see the white bandages on her wrists. She then remembers her earlier suicide attempt. _Great, it didn't work,_ she thinks. All she wants is to die. Is that so hard?

"Hi, Katniss. Good, you're awake. I'll go get Peeta. He's been waiting awake all night in the waiting room. He keeps thanking me over and over. I finally told him that I would see if you're awake just to get away from him thanking me. I get it. I don't need Peeta to keep thanking me," Bannock says.

"Thank you for what?" Katniss asks.

"For saving your life. You could have died," Bannock says.

"Yeah. That was kind of the point. I wanted to die. I didn't want you or anyone to save me," Katniss says.

"Why not? Why did you want to kill yourself?" Bannock asks, crossing his arms.

"Because I was tired of living without Prim. I just wanted to be happy," Katniss shrugs.

"So you were being selfish?" Bannock asks.

"No. How was I being selfish?" Katniss asks.

"You didn't think about anyone else. You didn't think about Peeta," Bannock says.

"I did, though. Didn't he get my note?" Katniss asks.

"Yes. I read it to him. But leaving a note isn't taking his feelings into consideration, is it?" Bannock asks.

"Oh, come on. How would he react to my death? He'd probably get an ice cream and get over it. I don't matter to anyone," Katniss says, sure of that answer, oblivious to the feelings of her friends.

"Would you like to know how he would really react? He would cry and cry. Maybe after a month, he'd get to the point that he could go on without crying 24/7. But he would never _ever_ forget you and how much he loved you. And because he'd be crying, he would give my parents more of a reason to hate him and hit him. So don't you dare say that no one would care about you if you died. Just because you hate yourself doesn't mean that everyone else hates you. So I'm going to go get Peeta before I strangle you and your self-hatred. I don't understand how he stands you," Bannock says and walks out.

* * *

"Hi, Katniss," Peeta says nervously. He doesn't plan on bringing up her suicide note. She was killing herself. She had to say something to make her seem like a person that cared about people, right?

"Hi, Peeta. So you know what the note said?" Katniss asks. Of course. He didn't want to bring it up, but she did. Just perfect.

"Yeah. I know that you didn't mean it. You thought that's what I wanted to hear, so you wrote it," Peeta shrugs.

"That's not it. It was true. I really do love you, Peeta. I mean, I guess now I have to admit it, don't I?" Katniss asks.

"I guess… I'm just a bit shocked is all. I thought that no one loved me," Peeta says.

"You spend too much time with your mother, Peeta. You're starting to believe the horrible things that she says to you. You shouldn't beat yourself up so much," Katniss says.

"I love you too. I didn't tell you because I didn't want to be embarrassed. I thought that you didn't love me," Peeta says.

"Well, I do. And, thanks to your brother, I'm going to be around for a while to annoy you and remind you that you are loved," Katniss says, smiling.

**A/N: So that was a short chapter. Sorry if I'm stupid and took forever to update. Review?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: So here's another chapter! This chapter, because I've been focusing on Katniss a lot, will be focused on Peeta! And this will be a month after Katniss gets out of the hospital. Thank you for my 48 reviews, 35 followers, and 20 favorites!**

Chapter 13

Peeta waits where he usually waits, for Bannock and Rye to come and take him home. But it's been an hour. Where are they? Katniss, even after attempting suicide, couldn't help herself from talking too much and getting herself a detention. In her defense, Cato _did_ egg her on, taunting her about Prim. Cato had overstepped his boundaries, and that, that was inexcusable. And so Katniss responded properly to it, punching him in the face. But did Miss Trinket care about her excuses? No. She – and most of the teachers, really - and the Careers are in some sort of alliance, where the Careers can do whatever they please, and if anyone tries to fight back, the victim gets punished.

Katniss and Gale, both having gotten out of detention, walk out and see Peeta waiting.

"What are you doing?" she asks him.

"Waiting for Rye and Bannock. They always walk me home," Peeta responds.

"Your mother pulled Rye and Bannock out of school today while I was in the nurse," Gale says.

"Of course she did. Why wouldn't she? Come on, Peeta, we'll walk you home," Katniss sighs.

"Why did she pull them out?" Gale asks.

"Because Peeta's mother is an old hag," Katniss shrugs.

"She is not! She just likes Rye and Bannock better is all," Peeta says.

"Yeah, she likes them better. She won't beat them up, but she'll mess you up," Katniss says.

"Katniss, stop. My mother just knows what to do with me. I'm fine, really," Peeta insists.

"Peeta, is that true?" Gale asks.

"Great! Now Gale knows. Katniss, am I home yet?" Peeta asks.

"Almost. But it's not a big deal that Gale knows. You should want people to know. They can help make it end," Katniss says.

"No! Then, my mother will get in trouble. I love my mother. She knows what's best. Please, don't tell anyone," Peeta says.

"So you just take it? How can you love her when she hurts you so much?" Gale asks.

"Peeta has this insane idea planted in his head that he's useless and a waste of space, even though he is clearly not," Katniss says.  
"I am! Please, stop," Peeta says, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You're home. If you don't want to deal with your mother and father, you can come home with me," Katniss says.

"No, I'm fine. My dad's out of town again. I'll be fine," Peeta says, and walks up to his house. He walks in.

He has about 30 seconds before his mother appears, a cruel, twisted smile on her face. "Oh, so you found your way home? I was beginning to think that you wouldn't come home. But alas, that would be too good to be true. Of course, it took you forever. You can forget about eating dinner tonight," Mrs. Mellark says.

"Why?" Peeta asks.

"Because you came home so late. And because you felt the need to speak out like that, you can forget about breakfast tomorrow," Mrs. Mellark says. Peeta opens his mouth, but then closes it, deciding that he shouldn't argue.

"Yes, ma'am," he says, and begins to walk up the stairs. Mrs. Mellark smiles again, knowing that a surprise would meet him halfway up.

And sure enough, Peeta slips on the water that Mrs. Mellark had put there before he came home. He falls down the stairs, trying to grab the railing that Mrs. Mellark had taken off earlier that day. Peeta falls to the floor. Mrs. Mellark laughs coldly. Rye and Bannock run to him.

"No. Leave him there. This is what he deserves," Mrs. Mellark says, and pulls her other two sons away from Peeta. He landed on his arm, and he's pretty sure that he heard a crack. But he knows that he's alone now. And he knows that it will stay this way. He'll finally crawl up the stairs once he's sure that he's recovered, and will go to sleep hungry. He'll smell the aroma of cooking food, but he won't get any of it. It's how it always is.

**A/N: So I hope you liked that chapter! Please leave a review!**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: So it's back to normal. It'll be back to focusing on Peeta and Katniss, as opposed to just one of them. So yay for me for going back to normal. Thank you to every one of my 55 reviewers, 42 followers, and 22 favorites!**

Chapter 14

Katniss runs out of the forest. There's no need for her to go back home without Prim being there. She doesn't need breakfast, so she just goes to school. Instead of going to her first class, though, she goes to the counselor's office. She sees Portia sitting at her desk, and takes her seat across from her.

"Hello, Katniss. So how have you been?" Portia asks. Katniss had been ordered to see Portia every week after her attempted suicide.

"Fine, but I have something really important I need to tell you," Katniss says.

"Do tell," Portia says.

"Peeta's being abused at home," Katniss says.

"Peeta? Mellark? The blind boy that you've befriended? What makes you say that he's being abused at home?" Portia asks, confused.

"Because I've seen it. I've seen the bruises. I've heard the screaming. I've seen his father hit him. I've heard what Peeta's told me. I'm not lying. I would never lie about anything like this," Katniss says.

"Katniss, you've been through a lot. I'm sure that Peeta would have said something before. You're probably imagining all of this," Portia says.

"I told you that I wasn't lying! Why don't you believe me?" Katniss asks.

"Because I don't know how trustworthy you are right now," Portia says.

"I'm just trying to protect my friend! I was going to tell you the day of the school shooting, but I was interrupted! Do you remember? I didn't just come down here to see how your day was going!" Katniss exclaims.

"I do remember you coming down here… I'll look into the subject more later. For now we have to talk about you," Portia says. Katniss sighs and gets ready to talk about her feelings with Portia.

* * *

"Where's Katniss?" Peeta asks once the first bell rings.  
"Probably at her session with Portia. I wouldn't worry about it. And what about you? Are you okay? You look a bit uneasy," Johanna says, putting a hand on his arm. Peeta winces.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Peeta says, gritting his teeth.  
"You don't seem fine. What's wrong with your arm?" Johanna asks.

"I can't tell you. I'm fine, really," Peeta says.

"Why do you always come to school bruised? Why are you always hurt? You're not _that_ clumsy. I've seen you, and I know that you aren't. Is something happening at home?" Johanna asks.

"No," Peeta says.

"Fine. I'll go home with you. If nothing's happening, then I'll just hang out with you after school," Johanna says.

"No! You can't. I mean…I'm busy," Peeta says.

"Doing what?" Johanna asks.

"Um…cleaning my room," Peeta says, unable to think of another excuse.

"Then, I'll help you," Johanna says.

"No, please, Jo. I don't want any help," Peeta says.

"Fine. I'll just assume that you're getting abused at home. I'll go tell Portia," Johanna says, standing up.

"Nothing's happening. Really. Trust me," Peeta says.

"Ah, but I can't, Peeta. I've seen it happen. I was hanging out with Katniss in the woods two days ago when I saw it in the window. Your mother slapped you and threw a glass at you. You two were in your room. I remember it. I ran away after that. I wanted you to tell me, though," Johanna says.

"So you know. What are you going to do now?" Peeta asks.

"I don't know. I should tell Portia," Johanna says.

"You and Katniss think alike. I know that if I try to stop you, you'll tell her anyway. Do what you want. I've stopped caring," Peeta says.

"I'm going to tell her. You shouldn't be abused so much," Johanna says and gets up, ignoring the class going on. She walks out and to Portia's office, where she sees Katniss sitting and talking to Portia. Johanna calmly tells Portia what's going on. Portia thanks her, and sends Johanna back to class.

School ends quickly for Peeta, and he slowly walks home. Johanna told Portia. He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. He's going to be taken away and sent to live far away, away from his friends. Away from Katniss.

"What's going on?" Rye asks when they walk into their house and sees a woman standing there.

"You three are going to leave this home. I'm Plutarch Heavensbee. I'm here to help you. Go pack your things," Plutarch says.

Peeta, Rye, and Bannock go upstairs to pack their things, and they're a bit nervous.

"Why is he here?" Bannock asks.

"Someone must have caught onto Peeta being abused. Maybe they told?" Rye says.

"I don't want to leave. Is he going to take us away?" Peeta asks.

"Probably," Bannock shrugs. Peeta sighs. When they finish, they go back down to Plutarch. He's on the phone. He puts his phone down when he sees them come down the stairs.

"Okay, Mellark children, I have found two homes for you three. One couple wants the older two, so Rye and Bannock. Another just wants the young one, Peeta. We should go now, before your mother gets home," Plutarch says.

"Wait! I need to say goodbye to Katniss!" Peeta exclaims.

"Peeta, we need to leave," Plutarch says.

"No. I need to say goodbye," Peeta says.

"Peeta? What's happening? I saw a new car in your driveway and wanted to see how you are," Katniss says.

"Who is this?" Plutarch asks.

"This is Katniss. Katniss, I'm leaving. I have to leave. Johanna told Portia. Portia must have sent Plutarch. I'm sorry," Peeta says.

"I told Portia, too. She didn't believe me. I'm sorry, Peeta. I'm sorry," Katniss says.

"It doesn't matter anymore. We'll never talk to each other again. I'm sorry. I have to go," Peeta says.

"No! Where are you going?" Katniss asks.

"Seattle, Washington. Goodbye, Katniss," Peeta says. He then turns around and leaves.

**A/N: So there will be a couple more chapters after this. I hope you liked this chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This is going to be the last chapter! To quote Josh Groban, "I don't know how to apologize for my inactivity, so I won't." Oh, and the last chapter will be a Peeta chapter. And thank you to my 61 reviewers, 44 followers, and 23 favorites!**

Chapter 15

The next day is horrible. Peeta spends the day in the car. He thinks about what is happening. It's bad enough that he has leave his friends and Katniss, and now, he can't be with his brothers. He's upset. It seems like he always gets the worst luck. No matter what he does, something bad has to happen.

"Come on, Peeta. Cheer up. We're almost there!" Plutarch says as they pull up into Peeta's new family's driveway. They're waiting for him.

"Hi! I'm Beetee, and this is my wife, Wiress! It's wonderful to meet you!" a man exclaims. "Come inside! Wiress will take you to your room, and then, we'll leave you to get unpacked!"

"Thank you," Peeta says. He is taken to his room, and begins to unpack.

Three days pass. He's determined that Wiress and Beetee are nice, even if Beetee seems like a total nerd and Wiress seems a bit crazy. Beetee, because Wiress is usually off in her own little world, is the main parent. And Beetee can't help but baby Peeta, unsure of what Peeta can and can't do.

And school is terrible. Everyone makes fun of Peeta. Peeta is miserable. He wants to go back and be with Gale, Johanna, Finnick, Annie, and, most importantly, Katniss. He misses his old life.

Finally, after three days, when Peeta comes home from school and goes to his room, Katniss is waiting.

"Hello, Peeta," she says. Peeta lights up.

"Katniss? Are you really here?" he asks, thinking that he's just imagining it.

"Yes, I am. Come away with me, Peeta. Come with me, and we can travel the world," Katniss says, taking his hand.

"What?" he asks.

"I got a lot of money after winning an archery contest. My mother just died, and I have point in staying back there. I told Johanna, Gale, Finnick, and Annie my decision, and they said that I should do it. So I left. I bought two plane tickets. I want you to come away with me, Peeta. Come on. Won't you?" Katniss asks.

"I don't think I can. I don't think I'd be allowed. I can't, Katniss," Peeta says, thinking about how much trouble he would get in.

"You like it here?" Katniss asks.

"No, that's not it. Just…just I think we'd get caught before we're even on the plane," Peeta sighs.

"Nonsense. We're going to France first. Nothing will matter there," Katniss says.

"Okay. Let's do it," Peeta smiles.

"Come on. We can leave through your window so that no one will notice. There's only forest outside your window. This could work," Katniss says.

She climbs out first, and then he follows. They run through the forest, hop on a plane with nothing, and leave. They leave everything that's tied them down, and go together.

**A/N: So that's it! Please leave a review if you liked this chapter! Thank you guys so much!**


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